St. Peter's Church, Sunderland

Earlier in 2015, the grounds of St. Peter's Church (674 AD) in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland were subject to a landscape revamp, a face lift that transformed the Southern section of the site. Following public consultation and discussions with the Durham Diocese, the project was given the green light and works started at the end of October 2014. The landscaping includes informal seating positioned within the Monastery footprint, new footpaths and resurfacing of existing footpaths, a new main gateway, new parking areas, new lighting, improved signage and links to the riverside, plus the planting of semi-mature trees and shrubs, and the creation of wildflower areas. Sunderland City Council has funded the £1million project which is due for completion in spring 2015. Plans are already underway for events and activities to take place to celebrate the site and its heritage next year.

Upon arrival at the site the main gateway marked the introduction to the changes that had been put in place, with large masonry blocks flanking the wrought iron gates, etched with the name of the ancient church and the year in which it was built. Just inside the gates there was car parking bays to the left - a noticeable change from times gone by, and one which had me thinking the cars were better off outside the grounds rather than within. A quick walk down the path towards the church and then off to the right brought me to the area where most of the landscaping had taken place. A job very well done, it has to be said. Last but certainly not least, the lights. I had a brief chat with the vicar, who just happened to be walking his dog in the grounds. He informed me that the new lighting consisted of LED bulbs that are very economical to run and the costs equal a fraction of what the original costs were a few years ago before they were eventually switched off altogether.

Ash

Let There Be Light!

After a long absence, the lighting system at Penshaw Monument has returned in all it's glory...and more! For many years the Monument was lit up from dusk till dawn and it could be seen from many miles around, as it dominated the skyline and rightly placed itself highly in the ranks of North-East iconic Landmarks. To be fair, Penshaw Monument was always 'Up there' with the best of the rest in our region, but it was the idea of lighting it up that really propelled the icon to another level, showing it in it's best form - even better close up. Industrial strength halogen lights were initially installed and Sunderland Council met the cost, with the help of local tax payers of course (wink). Illuminating Penshaw Monument, a folly built in 1844 on Penshaw Hill between the districts of Washington and Houghton-le-Spring, was exactly what is deserved. Climbing the hill covers a distance in height of 446 feet, and although I've climbed those steps hundreds of times before, I'll probably do it all over again, although each climb seems to get that little bit tougher as the years pass. Although many a nice shot can be had from the foot of the hill, you simply can't visit without taking in the views from the top and inside the columns of the Monument. Although quite windy at times, it's well worth braving the elements to grab the visitor experience in full, so avoiding the climb isn't an option for me. Up I go.

Two years ago the original lighting was replaced with a hi-tech LED lighting system. The Philips Colour Reach lights cost in the region of £46,000 and once again Sunderland Council were dipping into their fully laden pockets to fund the project. No sooner were the lights in place and ready for the big switch on, when they mysteriously vanished. Aye, nimble fingered thieves decided to remove the lights and that was that. Standstill, for many months. A real pity and one that wasn't gonna deter Sunderland Council for too long, although admittedly it seemed to take an age before their contingency plan was up and running. And the plan was...well, a new set of lights of course. Security of the metal housing was beefed up somewhat to avoid a repeat performance, resulting in even more money down the drain, so here we were...ready to go once again. About time too.

The new lights will reduce energy costs by up to 80 per cent and save around £8,000 a year in running costs and will provide a softer white effect allowing the true colour of the monument to be seen. Altogether, 18 floodlights mounted within enclosures at the base of each pillar were installed. The floodlights can also be programmed to display colour changing light effects meaning special anniversaries or events such as football celebrations could be highlighted in colour on the monument.

At the tail end of August 2015, I grabbed my first shots of Penshaw Monument and it's new lighting system. The transformation was a real eye-opener, especially when the landmark had been in complete darkness at night for many months. We had our icon back to its former glories and hopefully this time round it would remain that way. The original switch saw the Monument in it's previous colour, a warm yellow, which was looked prefect on the stonework, but was it wasn't long before the lights would be displayed in a totally different way. Colour cycles were performed at timed intervals, in multi-coloured displays. Sunderland Gay Pride weekend coincided with a rainbow effect display, which is shown here and by far being the most spectacular show to date.

The terrorist attacks in Paris during November 2015 marked a full week of respect by Sunderland Council as the Monument was lit in the colours of the Tricolor (French National Flag) to honour the many innocent lives that were lost. This attracted thousands of visitors to Penshaw Monument as another mark of respect during the week the blue, white and red colours were on display. Again, I made another short visit to the site to pay respect and join in with many others who took photographs.
So, in a nutshell, here is a small selection of shots that I captured during the four months I have briefly covered in this blog entry. More can be seen on my website at ashleycorr.com, so feel free to pop over to take a look. And there's more blog entries to come, as I catch up with a backlog of photographs from the last few months. Stay tuned...

AC

Autumn Waterfalls, 2015 (Part 2)

A continuation of the Autumn Waterfalls theme, following on from my last post a few days ago. Part 1 was by no means a classic as far as waterfalls go. The installment was merely an introduction as to what was about to follow, so without further ado, here is a small selection of picturesque waterfall shots that I enjoyed capturing in a fantastic setting. West Burton is a jewel not to be overlooked. Situated in Upper Wensleydale, which is part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, it is the home of Cauldron Falls, one of the waterfalls drawn by Turner, on his tour of the North of England. 

I parked next to the village green and walked back down to the entrance, basically heading towards the noise of the waterfall. Well, that's one good way of finding it, especially when it's your first ever visit and there's no-one around to ask directions. A narrow opening between the houses leads you into an almost fairy tale scene. With the Olde Worlde village now behind me, it was almost like stepping from one chapter of a book into another, or even onto a period drama film set. The timing of my visit couldn't have been better, as the floor was littered with Autumn leaves of various colours, with many more falling from above as I walked further into the scene. An old stone bridge guards the entrance to the falls and it's about as picturesque as you'll find, with the fast flowing water travelling through its arch an down an incline. A group of photographers stood around the bridge, capturing the dramatic water at speed as I walked past.

An old wooden bench was situated under the trees on the approach to Cauldron Falls. It was here that I took my first shot of the falls, kicking off with a 1 second shutter speed as a test. It was spot on, so I ran with that and an aperture of f11 at 100 ISO for the rest of my exposures during the one hour session. I was tempted to head over the stone bridge to capture a different angle on the falls, but to be perfectly honest, I was more than happy to work from one side of the river as the photo opportunities looked much better, with rocks, water cascades and overhanging autumnal tree's offering everything I was looking for.

Summing up my visit - this really was a one to remember. Up til this point I hadn't taken any Autumn shots in 2015, so there would be no better place to start than Middleton in Teesdale, with an encore at Cauldron Falls, West Burton. It doesn't come any better than this. One place I'll definitely be revisiting in 2016, make no mistake of that.
Back soon...
AC

Autumn Waterfalls, 2015 (Part 1)

Hello again!
Yes, it really is a new blog entry, so don't adjust your screens. Well overdue, it has to be said, and although I continually promise to update my blog on a more regular basis, I really must deliver that promise instead of going AWOL. No excuse, to be honest, but other commitments have taken priority, such as my main website at ashleycorr.com, my Facebook photography page, plus the small matter of fulfilling orders for my work in print. Anyway, less of that and more of this. Welcome back folks - normal service shall now be resumed...

Haway then, let me take you on a wander through Autumn countryside, from Middleton in Teesdale to West Burton - a small quaint hamlet in Wensleydale. The plan was to shoot waterfalls, with a backdrop of Autumn colours to boot. Sounds good, but would the plan come together? It was a fine, sunny day, which wasn't the ideal weather for shooting waterfalls, to be honest. Overcast days are better conditions, but you can only run with what is front of you, so let's see what today brings.

The first port of call was Summerhill Force, in Middleton in Teesdale, also known as Gibson's Cave. As we walked through the wooded area towards the falls, the leaves were falling rapidly and we really did get a sense that Autumn was well and truly in full flow. As the sun shone on the golden leaves, it was a sight to behold. The floor was littered with them, as was the rocks in the stream on the approach to the falls. A couple of photographers were in position along the waters edge, capturing Autumn in its pomp as they pulled in those colourful shots. As we reached Summerhill Force, the focal point of our visit, the sun shone directly through the break in the trees and onto the waterfall. Not ideal, although it did bring the best out of the surrounding tress in all their Autumn colours. The shots featured here are from the approach to the falls. Here they are, followed by Part 2 of 'Autumn Waterfalls' which will be my next blog installment, concentrating on West Burton Falls. Until then...

Cheers, Ash

Tommy 1101 - Facebook Meltdown!!!

As the dust begins to settle on an amazing few days for Ashley Corr Photography, I'd like to personally thank everyone for their support following my recent photo upload here on Facebook. The photo in question was captured at midnight on Tuesday 25th August, 2015, in Seaham Harbour, County Durham.

The subject was Tommy, a corteen steel statue that was originally on loan to the County Durham town. The statue, by local artist Ray Lonsdale, was so popular that people in Seaham began a campaign to buy it, and after a mammoth effort, £60,000 was raised in a bid to secure permanent residence. The town council agreed to contribute the remainder of the £85,000 price tag before the deadline. The piece, called Mission 1101, known locally as Tommy, was inspired by World War One and is named to reflect the first minute of peace.

My brother Chris and myself headed over to Seaham in the hope of photographing Tommy, despite the rain. I recently had an idea floating around in my head that involved placing candles in front of Tommy, which would be so poignant and fitting that I just had to give it a go. Real candle flames wouldn't have stood a chance in such a breezy open space, coupled with the fact that rain threatened to spoil the party, so I decided to use battery powered tea lights which would give an identical effect to the shot, plus I wouldn't be pulling my hair our lighting one match after another to get them restarted. After a couple of minutes arranging the candles, it was time to let the camera go to work. As I dialed in the camera settings the rain kicked in once again, driving us back into my car that was parked nearby. I wasn't at all bothered about getting wet, but more concerned about keeping the camera and lens dry. Oh, go on then...truth was, I didn't want me mullet getting spoiled, he he.

A few minutes later the rain passed and we set up stall again, only for the rain to fall again, heavier than before. Beat retreat to the car. At this point I considered giving the whole thing a miss, almost deciding it would be best to try again another night. Although the rain was against us, it actually played a massive part in what was to become my most popular photograph to date. The steel statue was sparkling in the rain and at that point I imagined those brave soldiers, like Tommy, who paid the ultimate price fighting for the cause, and how at times they fought in torrential conditions, such as heavy rain. It was at this point I decided I wasn't leaving without the photograph I wanted. It was in my head, exactly what I wanted, so it was up to me to capture it with my camera.

We've all heard the saying 'Third time lucky', well that applied to me as I set up my gear and placed the candles into position once again. The rain subsided and it was GAME ON. Tommy sparkled and the dry spots under his toe caps added a little extra to the shot, giving a strong impression of a very recent rainfall. There was no-one around, just me and Chris along with the odd passing car. As I finally got to trip the shutter, Chris took a photo or two himself, including one of me standing next to my gear. Within a minute or two we were out. Driving back to Houghton le Spring, I was quietly confident I had bagged the shot I wanted.

Without further ado, here it is...Tommy 1101, Candlelit Vigil...

The following day I posted the shot on 'Sunderland In Pictures' during late afternoon. My Facebook mobile phone app went into meltdown!!! As I was working a night shift that same day I went back to bed for a few hours in preparation for the slog ahead. When the alarm clock shifted my backside outa bed I went downstairs and made a coffee. I sat and looked on my mobile phone. To my amazement I learned that my Tommy photo had over 600 likes and many comments. Within another hour (11.10pm) it cranked up to over 900!! Break time at work (1.45am) the like counter had tipped over to 1360 likes. This was beyond anything I had achieved previously and way beyond anything I had expected when the candle concept entered my head. The response to 'Candlelit Vigil' was overwhelming to say the least.

The following day it went onto another level completely. The comments and likes were coming at a rate of ten per minute. The kind words were very touching and this was very satisfying. I was happy that so many people were moved enough to comment and send private messages of thanks. This meant a lot and I knew it meant a lot to others too. There were far too comments to thank everyone individually, so I made a point of thanking everyone on a few occasions in the comments column. Then a comment came in that was the cherry on the icing of the cake. The designer of Tommy, none other than Ray Lonsdale, gave high praise, sharing my photo to his own page 'Two rubber red things/Ray Lonsdale' and saying how it was up there with the very best photo's he'd seen of his creation. Wow, it doesn't come much better than that'.
Within a few hours the photo had over 500 likes on his page.

Skipping the chase, it's now three days since I posted 'candlelit Vigil' to Facebook. On Sunderland In Pictures alone it has over 4,500 likes and almost 400 comments. The 'Picture' has also been shared no less that 4,300 times!! Once again, thanks very much for the response to my photo, which has been very humbling. I take a lot of satisfaction most of all by sharing the photo, which in turn moved many people, not only from the North-East of England, but much further afield. It's a fitting tribute to all those who fought in conflict, especially those who paid the ultimate price. Lest we forget...

Roseberry Topping, North Yorkshire

May is for bluebells and a bad back, or so the story goes...

Another trip south on the A19 and an exit at the Whitby turn off for another bash at the bluebell carpet in Newton Wood, near the iconic landmark that is Roseberry Topping. Almost a year to the day I visited this picturesque location for a dose of landscape photography but I was more that happy to tread the terrain once more in the search for some improved bluebell shots, with Roseberry Topping as a backdrop. Sounds great, plus the weather was on my side and upon arrival I had the place to myself. My mobile phone is loaded with some ideal information in the shape of 'Photographers Ephemeris' which predicted the sun would be ideally placed around 3am for the shots I wanted. All went as planned and I was back at ground level within an hour and a half. It wasn't until the next day at work that niggling back pains kicked in and gradually worsened as the day progressed. By the following day I was in a lot of discomfort. Felt like I'd been booted by a horse. Down my right side the was excruciating and it affected my leg too, especially when driving. Not nice. I had to lift my leg up and out of the car before standing up, not to mention what I must have looked like trying getting out the car. Oh dear. Out of action for a while by the look of things. I reckon I must have brought this on by carting that ridiculously heavy camera bag up the hill to photograph the bluebells. Must be bloody mad. Oh well, as I write this blog entry a few weeks later, I'm glad to announce that I'm back to full fitness (whatever that may be) and the back pain has done one. I'll not be making that mistake again, says he. Oh well, I wouldn't say it was worth it. No photograph is worth going through that agony, but just for the record, here is the photographs from the outing. More blogging to follow.
Thanks, Ash

Northern Lights, Bamburgh - April 2015

Hello again and welcome to another blog entry. I've been looking forward to writing about my recent sighting of the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis. After a brief showing back in December 2014, I was hopeful of catching a better light show before the end of the Aurora season, which is normally in late March. There had been a handful of decent Aurora activity since December, notably the big one on St. Patrick's Day, but sods law kicked in and I missed them, mainly due to work commitments, and not for the first time either. So, when a predicted forecast of Aurora activity was on the cards in late April, I decided to push the envelope and get myself up the coast to photograph it. As it happened I was working until 11.20pm on April 20th but that wasn't going to stop me making the 130 mile round trip, even though I was quite knackered at the end of my shift. The opportunity was too good to pass, especially as the aurora prediction also coincided with clear skies and no moon, which are ideal for this kind of photography. So, with everything in place, it was all systems go!

I made the journey north with work colleague and friend Ryan Pearce, who like myself has only been doing Astrophotography for a few months. We were both excited as to what the night had in store for us and we weren't disappointed. After an hour or so on the road we were soon in position with our cameras at Stag Rock Lighthouse, Bamburgh, on the Northumberland coast. This was the same location as my first and only sighting of the Northern Lights, so we were more than hopeful of a good light show to reward us for our efforts. Pointing our cameras in a northerly direction we fired off our first test shots to see if we could pick up any activity. Bingo! A magenta cloud was fairly prominent on the horizon and what a start to the night that was. Soon we could see small spires and they shifted fairly quickly to the right, along the horizon. The spires got bigger and more appeared as the minutes passed. To the naked eye they appeared as a grey hue, but the long exposures that the camera pulled in showed them as bright green and magenta. I ran off a time lapse sequence whilst watching the dancing lights, which consisted of around 80 x 20 second exposures.

The Milky Way was very prominent and stretched across the sky between the Aurora and Bamburgh Castle. I was hopeful of bagging a shot of the full vista in front of me, although the vast expanse would only be achieved by taking several shots and stitching them together in Photoshop. The photo at the top is the result of taking 14 exposures and letting Photoshop do the rest. Once stitched I edited the image, which took around 15 minutes to complete. I would say it's one of my best shots to date. This time last year I didn't even know what the Milky Way and Aurora looked like, so to grab myself a shot like this meant a lot. A rare phenomenon!

The lights danced on the horizon for two and a half hours before an orange glow began to appear. Yes, the sun was on its way. We left Bamburgh at around 4.15am and headed home. Job done. This was a memorable night, to say the very least. I have compiled a time lapse video of what we saw on this eventful night and it can be found on my website. Visit ashleycorr.com and head off to the TV page where you will find the 2 and a half minute footage. Alteratively, if you have access to a Smart TV, go to the YouTube app and search for 'Bamburgh Aurora'. The search results will show the thumbnail image with my name next to it. The video has been produced in High Definition and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's only my first attempt at this kind of thing, but I think I done ok. And that's about it. Hope you enjoyed this blog entry. Cheers, Ash